Animal Crossing: New Horizons Should Borrow a Beloved Skyrim Feature

Animal Crossing: New Horizons could give players a great creative opportunity by adding a simple feature from Skyrim to the game.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons could borrow a basic element from Skyrim and receive a major upgrade as a result. Even though Animal Crossing and Skyrim come from two entirely different worlds in terms of gaming experiences, there is a small connection between the two. Both games let the player build their character's lives in a fantasy world; the main difference is that Animal Crossing takes place in a peaceful village, while Skyrim boasts a harsh medieval setting. Even so, one of Skyrim's features would be an undeniably perfect addition for Animal Crossing: New Horizons' next update.

At its heart, even though Animal Crossing: New Horizons has many new experiences, it's quite similar to the Animal Crossing games of the past. While most games have the player moving to a new town, in New Horizons they're instead one of the first inhabitants of a new island. In addition to decorating their own house, they will be spending a lot of time working on the island as well, designing it to their liking. True to form for the series, there is also a huge pool of animal villagers that can move onto the island for the player to befriend, adding to the game's friendly atmosphere.

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One strange thing is that, even though Animal Crossing: New Horizons' villagers comprise many species of animals, the player can only play as a human. It does seem a bit odd, considering the series' name. Not only that, but one reason that a lot of the game's villagers become popular is because of their interesting animal designs. While the player has several customization options for their character, being a human can feel pretty bland regardless compared to the colorful animal supporting cast. However, an update to New Horizons, or possibly a new game entirely, could finally change this dynamic for players.

Much like how Skyrim had many races for the player to choose from, Animal Crossing: New Horizons' next move could be the opportunity for players to play as different species. Since the villagers and other NPCs are already animals, this new options wouldn't be out of place at all. Plus, it could also be an opportunity for players to use their favorite in-game animal as a character base. There could be expected options like wolves, foxes, and cate, but also some more eclectic choices such as lizards and birds. Players have been hanging out with these lovable animals for years, so it's about time that they have the chance to play as one.

Another perk for letting players play as animals comes in the form of Animal Crossing: New Horizons' incredible customization. There have already been a lot of instances of fans showing off their creative skills both with the island as well as their avatars. Unveiling the ability for players to play as animals would open even more opportunities to players to customize them. Players would be able to inject even more character into their avatars with the new possibilities provided to them. It would be no surprise to see a significant portion of the player base suddenly represented by animal avatars in-game.

Playable animal characters seems like the most logical next step for the Animal Crossing series. Although it may be too late for another Animal Crossing: New Horizons update to grant players this ability, there is still hope that the next game will be able to latch on to the idea. Letting players make their own animal avatars feels like a natural idea for the series, and Animal Crossing's own villagers show that there are a lot of excellent designs that players could come up with. Animal Crossing: New Horizons could be the first game in the series to grant players such a chance.

Animal Crossing: New Horizons is available now for the Nintendo Switch.

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